While all eyes have been on Ukraine, the US approved massive foreign military deals to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, and Kuwait.
By Nick Cleveland-Stout And Taylor Giorno, Responsible Statecraft
In February, the State Department approved almost $26 billion in foreign military sales. While escalating conflict in Ukraine forced difficult decisions, including the $6 billion sale of tanks to Poland, the lion’s share of these sales have nothing to do with the current crisis.
The State Department has approved more foreign military sales this month than in any month since November 2020. More than $5 billion of February’s arms sales went to the Middle East, contradicting the administration’s stated intention to pivot away from the region.
Publicly, Biden maintains an image of diverting U.S. attention from the Middle East. Yet, these quiet arms sales suggest Biden’s Middle East policy is more of a continuation of the same. Before taking office, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he “envisioned a Biden presidency would do ‘less not more’ in the region.” The interim national security guidelines released early in the Biden presidency laid out a similar vision, claiming that “we will not give our partners in the Middle East a blank check to pursue policies at odds with American interests.” A close Biden adviser said early in his presidency that “If you are going to list the regions Biden sees as a priority, the Middle East is not in the top three…It’s Asia-Pacific, then Europe, and then the Western Hemisphere.”
Recent Posts
Politicians Should Stop Hiding Behind the “Two-State Solution” Fantasy
Take Action Now Claiming to know what’s best for Palestinians is built into a colonial mindset that has propelled intervention in the region for more…
Nebraska Wants Data Centers to Come Clean About Water Usage
Take Action Now The industry can be a black box of information. But as the state deals with persistent drought, residents and regulators want more…
Johnson Says Pentagon Needs More Money for ‘Fighting Communism on our own Shores’
Take Action Now Trump has threatened to deploy the military against the “enemy within” and has recently promoted the idea that “democratic socialism…
Trump Says Iran War Has Restarted, Potentially Resetting War Powers Clock
Take Action Now Democrats have said they may sue the president if he doesn’t adhere to previous War Powers votes.By Chris Walker, Truthout…